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Is a Volvo S40 a good first car?

My teen daughter just got her driver’s license and I’m looking for a good used car for her to take to school. Is a Volvo S40 a good first car?

avatar
Mariza Morin · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Buying your daughter
her first car
for school is a great idea! And we’d say the Volvo S40 is a good first car—for the most part.
Some of the top selling points that make the S40 a good first car include:
  • Good gas mileage—with an EPA rating of 21 city/30 highway/24 combined mpg
  • Standard safety features—anti-lock disc brakes, stability control, and traction control
  • Affordable—the 2011 Volvo S40 ranges from $5,000 to $9,000, according to Kelley Blue Book
  • Cheap car insurance
    —car insurance tends to be more affordable for used models
The only downside to owning a Volvo S40 is its potential for high maintenance costs. As with most Volvos, parts could become expensive to replace. You might want to think about more practical options, like the
Honda Civic
or
Toyota Prius
—both are easy to maintain, cheap to insure, and provide excellent fuel economy.
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